


like real people do

by glownary



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Background Amami Rantaro, Background Harukawa Maki, Background Saihara Shuichi, Healing, I think this counts as hurt/comfort?, Killing Game Was A Virtual Reality Simulation (Dangan Ronpa), Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out, Mentioned One-Sided Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, Post-New Dangan Ronpa V3, Trauma, Virtual Reality, but the hurt is mostly just what already happened in the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24363856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glownary/pseuds/glownary
Summary: They kissed goodbye in the hangar and every subsequent kiss has felt like hell.We should just kiss like real people do.
Relationships: Momota Kaito/Oma Kokichi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 169





	like real people do

The first time Kokichi kissed him for real, it was midnight and they shouldn't have been together. Kaito had snuck out of his room that night to talk to him. They did talk for a little bit, but it was overwhelming—they stumbled their way through it until Kokichi decided that words couldn't say what he wanted to say. Gripping onto Kaito's hospital gown that matched his own, he pulled him down to eye level and stared at his lips like he was asking for permission. Kaito gave up on thinking and went with what he felt; he leaned in. 

If talking felt overwhelming, this was something else entirely—by all means, they had no need to rush, but the moment their lips met they were back in the hangar. Frantic, and messy, and desperate, and much too sad. It shouldn't have felt this way—like it was goodbye all over again. Like they were the only people left in the world, and that even they would be gone soon. They both knew the feeling of death well. This felt like dying. 

Still, they held on for perhaps longer than they should have; as if trying harder and being stubborn would make it better. Their teeth clicked and they didn't care; their lips were swollen and they didn't care. It was too much, and it wasn't right, and the longer they kissed the more both of their mouths tasted like blood. Kaito finally pulled away with a gasp and his heart was pounding so hard he thought it would give out.

He's in the hangar, it's goodbye again, this is goodbye, there's blood in his mouth and more is about to be on his hands—

"Just breathe," Kokichi told him. He focused on Kokichi in front of him—he's fine, he's standing, the taste of blood in their kiss wasn't real. He quickly realized that Kokichi had teared up, and he wanted so badly to do something about that but his body was still shaking.

"You need to get some sleep," Kokichi urged him. He wanted to protest but he knew it was true. Something about his expression must've been concerning, because as he pushed him out of the room, Kokichi whispered "I'll still be here in the morning."

It's not until after the door shut and Kaito found himself alone in the facility halls that he noticed his own tears. He went to bed angry that night; at himself or the game or the world at large, he wasn't sure.

###### 

The second time was less than a week later in the middle of the day. Kaito was trying to subtly escape a conversation with Shuuichi and Maki. It was difficult to avoid them when they always sought him out, and he was running out of excuses. There was only so much he could take being looked at as a hero, these days. 

He caught Kokichi's eye across the room where he was talking to Rantarou, and Kokichi winked at him. He was unsure of what that meant until Kokichi came over a minute later and grabbed his arm. 

"Momota-chan promised me he'd help me out with something," he drawled. Shuuichi and Maki both glared at him openly, unabashed in their hatred. 

"Like what?" Maki asked, her tone dry and curt.

Kokichi tapped a finger to his lips as though considering something, humming lightly, before grinning wide. "Mind your business!"

She looked just about ready to have an aneurysm as Kokichi dragged him out of the room. The moment they were in the hall, Kaito let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Ouma."

Kokichi gave him a small, secretive smile. "Don't thank me just yet." Kaito finally took note of the fact that Kokichi was still pulling him somewhere, down the hallway and around a corner. 

Confused, Kaito started to ask "Where are we—"

"In here!" Kokichi interrupted, gesturing towards a door. Kaito didn't have time to read the sign on it before Kokichi pulled him inside and shut it behind them. He realized in bewilderment that it was a supply closet.

Kaito turned to shoot Kokichi a questioning look, backing into the metal shelves in surprise when he found that Kokichi was much closer than he was expecting. Pressing a small hand against the metal on either side of Kaito, Kokichi whispered, "You still need to help me with something, remember?"

Kaito's eyes widened and he took a moment to find a response. He settled on saying, "I don't remember making that promise," but he made no move to try and get away.

"Then make it now."

Scanning Kokichi's face for… something, he wasn't sure what—Kaito slowly nodded. "Okay."

Suddenly, Kokichi grabbed the collar of his shirt with one hand and dragged him down, pausing when their lips were just an inch apart. They breathed like that for what felt like minutes, but could only really have been a few seconds. "You sure about that?" Kokichi asked.

Kaito hadn't been this sure of anything since he woke up. He closed the gap between them himself, earning a hum of approval from Kokichi. It started off fine—no, not fine, better than that—but the instant their mouths opened it was a lost cause. Kokichi's tongue felt as though it were an electric shock to his system. The familiar accursed metallic taste returned. Kokichi started to pull away and Kaito grabbed his shoulders in frustration, desperately wanting this to just be right for once, for _anything_ to be right for once.

Bringing a hand up, Kokichi pressed firmly against Kaito's chest, pushing him backwards. Kaito took the hint, separating from him yet leaving his hands gripping tightly at Kokichi's shirt. He breathed heavily and Kokichi stared into his eyes. "Not yet," Kokichi mumbled under his breath. Kaito wasn't sure what he meant by that, or whether Kokichi had been speaking to him or to himself.

Kaito's throat burned. "I'm sorry." Sorry, as if it was his fault. Sorry for killing him, maybe, or sorry that they had to live with the consequences.

Kokichi simply shook his head. "You're not done helping me. Just, not right now." He left Kaito alone in the supply closet without waiting for a response.

###### 

They kissed in Kaito's room, sitting on the bed together as they analyzed footage from the game. They kissed in the stairwell after group therapy when the others had already left them behind. They kissed on the roof, under the stars, when they snuck out together one night. They kissed again, and again, and again, and it was never quite right but it tasted a little less like blood each time they tried.

They kissed before their first post-game interview, when Kokichi loudly announced that he had to use the bathroom first and Kaito followed suit, catching the look in his eye. That time, Kokichi tried something differently; he shoved Kaito against the locked door and made out with him passionately, like maybe being too sweet had been the problem before. Predictably, it didn't work—but Kaito struggled to keep his eyes off Kokichi during the show. For once, he remembered that kiss instead of the one they shared in the hangar. How could he be a mess while Kokichi didn't slip up at all, his mask as pristine as it had been throughout the game?

"Earth to Momota-san," the host joked. Kaito nearly bolted upright in his seat, and the crowd laughed. "It's alright, folks, I'm sure he's just thinking about his sweetheart!" 

Kaito's eyes shot wide and he nearly froze in fear until Kokichi elbowed him in the side. "Oh, I'm sure he is. Those two lovebirds can't leave each other alone, it's disgusting!" Kokichi cackled along with the crowd before shooting Kaito a dangerous look.

Right. They were talking about… Maki.

His face burned. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, and it worked in his favor. The crowd cooed and the host launched into a segment about their apparent romance, stating that their relationship was "a fan favorite." Kaito could feel Maki's eyes boring holes into the back of his head. He just smiled and nodded along.

###### 

It was easy to pretend that their feelings meant nothing while they were stuck at the rehabilitation facility. So what if they spent a lot of time together? They were stuck there, anyways. Might as well hang out.

The facility gave them an excuse. Once the rehabilitation period was over and everyone was free to go, there was no reason for them to see each other outside of the occasional public appearance mandated by their contracts. No reason, that is, other than the fact that they wanted to. 

Neither of them wanted to be the one to admit it. It was the kind of truth they had made a habit of skirting around. 

Kaito packed the few things he had with him into his bag. His grandparents were real, and they were waiting for him at home. Some of the others were returning to family as well, and some had their own apartments—being an adult was a requirement for signing the consent forms. Kokichi refused to talk about where he would go afterwards, but Kaito decided to trust him when he said he would be okay. If he had no one waiting for him, he at least had more than enough money from the show to afford a comfortable apartment. 

"Leaving so soon?"

Kaito nearly jumped out of his skin. _"Fucking—_ do you ever knock?!"

Kokichi giggled and skipped across the room, draping an arm over Kaito's hunched shoulders. "I think you know the answer to that." Even with Kaito leaning down to pack, Kokichi could barely reach. He let his arm fall back to his side when Kaito stood up straight.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm guessing you didn't come here just to sneak up on me, though." Kaito looked down at him, unsure.

Kokichi feigned distress, sniffling harshly. "How mean! You don't even want to see me one last time before we say goodbye forever?"

Kaito tensed up and his panic must have shown in his eyes, because Kokichi dropped the act immediately and gave him a small, sad smile. "Sorry, that was cruel of me. What I meant to say was…" 

He reached out and laced their fingers together. "Where's my 'see you later' kiss, Momota-chan?"

Heart pounding, Kaito remembered Kokichi's words from the game. _"Where's my goodbye kiss, Momota-chan?"_

Not goodbye this time. 'See you later.'

Flooded with relief, Kaito's eyes welled up with tears and he did nothing to stop them. He leaned down to kiss Kokichi but he couldn't stop smiling, the two of them laughing softly against each other's lips.

"Kaito," Kokichi whispered, and Kaito's heart soared at the sound of his given name. "I'm starting to think you're just really bad at kissing."

Unable to even pretend to be upset by that, Kaito just challenged, "Oh yeah?"

Kokichi's eyes shone. "Yeah. Better prove me wrong."

He didn't need to be told twice. Leaning back in for take two, Kaito tilted his head for a better angle. Kokichi slipped his tongue in, and for the first time, neither of them tasted blood. This time had all of the love and care from every previous try—and the passion from the kiss before their first interview—without the desperation. It wasn't the end this time. It was a beginning. 

When they finally pulled away, they rested for a minute with their foreheads pressed together. Kaito shut his eyes. "See you later, Kokichi."

Kokichi reached up with one hand to cup Kaito's face. "See you later, Kaito."

**Author's Note:**

> fic titled after the hozier song by the same name!


End file.
